Slightly Less Empty Nest Menu #71

Something comforting to me during this strange time: a quilt my mother let me choose from her collection.  The name of it is "Peony" and it has this quirky Christmas wreath print on the back.  My mother says she labored over the quilting, which seems very detailed, and it is one of the last applique quilts she has made, due to the difficulty.  I love it and am wrapping myself in it nightly, just like a child would do.

Monday - Bruschetta Meatloaf, baked potatoes, fresh veggie*

Tuesday - Tilapia, fresh veggie, garlic toast

Wednesday - Pot of beans with smoked ham hock, corn muffins

Thursday - Sausage Hashbrown Casserole, fruit

Friday - Swedish Ham Balls, cabbage, black eyed peas, rolls, leftover birthday cake, bubbly {I leave for work at 2:30 p.m.}

Saturday - Crockpot Apricot Chicken over rice, fresh veggie

Sunday - Who knows.  Probably a leftovers smorgasbord.

*fresh veggies this week will be an assortment of kale, zucchini, bell peppers, carrots, green beans, brussels sprouts

Happy New Year!

Gina

Christmas 2020 treats

On Saturday, I bounded into the kitchen like a deranged elf and spent a few hours making Christmas treats.  My plan was to have been done with all of it by Monday and I was waaay ahead of the game.  Some of the treats didn't turn out quite as planned and I was feeling 2020ish about it, but then I put them all on a pretty plate and thought "I actually did GOOD".

I scrubbed the kitchen down and called it done.

The cookie tray is our traditional dessert for Christmas Eve , since we have a birthday cake for Bubbie on Christmas Day.  {and as long as I'm his mother he will get a birthday that is separate and apart from Christmas!}  I made NINE different treats for Christmas - some of them going into containers to give as gifts, others to place on this tray.

Notice the brown triangles in the middle of the container?  Those were supposed to be gingerbread cookies, but I ran out of Crisco and subbed butter, then I realized I did not have quite enough flour.  I forged on and made some very delicious ginger thins!  After I filled these containers I decorated them with stickers and To/From tags.

The above containers are for my peeps to take home with them!  All in all, a morning well-spent.  But next year I will take stock of:

*what pantry baking supplies I need to replenish

*how much time I want to spend on my feet in the kitchen at any one time

*containers I need (some of these are from when Hubby and I delivered meals for Easter and are not all that festive...)

Have you finished all your Christmas baking yet?

Gina
 

Christmas Week Slightly Less Empty Menu #70

Wow!  Seventy menus since we became *almost* Empty Nesters!

Monday - Crockpot Crack Chicken Chili, Fritos

Tuesday - Mexican Tilapia, kale

Wednesday - Cheese Enchiladas, chopped salad {assemble cookie tray}

Thursday - Spiral Glazed Ham, Overnight Mac and Cheese, Arkansas Green Beans, rolls, Christmas Cookies* for dessert! 

Friday - Breakfast Casserole and fruit for Brunch.  Dinner will be Hamburger Soup with garlic bread {mom works 3-11:30}

Saturday - Pizza, Caesar Salad, birthday cake like this for my birthday boy!

Sunday - Easiest Italian Chicken, garlic toast {puzzle doings, wine drinking}

This year's Christmas cookie tray: Dark Chocolate Cranberry Fudge, Fig Cookies, Russian Teacakes, Ginger thins

Merry Christmas to you and Yours!

Gina

5 thing Friday - tacos, 12 Fox, Christmas decor, books, Hubby

Hubby and I enjoy having our free choice eating days on the weekends, but I feel like that probably needs to change after the first of the year.  

This new taco place in Liberty Hill was a great stop for a recent weekend lunch.  Grilled chicken tacos made with handmade tortillas and Mexican street corn.  I mean, are tacos really all that unhealthy?  Please say no.

The scene from the porch at 12 Fox and the beer - two really good things about Sunday evening.  There might also have been live music and a friendly brewery dog wandering about.

For some reason, this was the only pic I took of the ornaments I made for the wineries that we are members of.  I found the large plastic balls at Michael's, pulled the corks out of my massive collection, added some greenery or sparkly bits, and added a bow and hanger.  It was a very fun little art project - easy to do and inexpensive and all of them acted like it was a treasure!

I swear I am done decorating my house. 

I truly am, but I added these berry and bell picks to the mantle swag because I saw them in JoAnn and loved them.  Incidentally, that swag is actually two garlands wired together.

The reindeer in the bookcase love them, too.

We visited the Esperanza Winery tasting room on Saturday and marveled at all of the winemaker's books.  She has such a cozy place.  It's like an antique shop/library reading room/wine bar.  I borrowed an epic book - Texas, by James Michener.  Take it one chapter at a time was her advice to me.  That's pretty great life advice too, I'd say.

Things Hubby loves: his bling, his Santa hat, the color red, this leather vest, me. 

Not in that exact order.

Gina
 

Dried oranges

Years ago I used to make pomander balls out of oranges and cloves.  They smelled so great and were fun to do!  I've been focusing lately on baking Christmas snack gifts so I've been busy with that.  But in between all that snack-making I made a few dried orange slices, intending to use them in a bowl of rustic winter potpourri.  I could purchase these, and I have before because I think they are so pretty, but they are so easy and much cheaper to make myself! 

All I did was slice up a large naval orange about 1/4 inch thick, lay out on a cookie sheet, and placed in the oven.  I set the temp to 190 and set a cook timer for 4 hours.  The kitchen smelled pleasantly of orange and it helped to warm my kitchen. When I got home from work, Hubby had set the cookie sheet off to the side so he could fix dinner, but the orange slices were perfectly dried. And now to make my rustic winter potpourri! 

I plan on adding cinnamon sticks, and some star anise, along with some dried leaves or moss, and maybe a few drops of essential oil.  It will stay out all winter and softly scent the room.

Are you doing any non-Christmas crafts?

Gina

Slightly Less Empty Nest Menu #69

 

Monday - Italian Parmesan Chicken Bites, twice bakeds, baby limas

Tuesday - Cowboy Casserole, greens

Wednesday - Tuna Bowls

Thursday - Turkey Sloppy Joes, likely chips

Friday - Last of the Thanksgiving leftovers {Shepherd's Pie}

Saturday - Bruschetta Meatloaf, green beans {delivering gifts this weekend!}

Sunday - Crock Pot Ribs, potato salad, beans

Gina

5 thing Friday - bottle tree, Christmas card pics, dry erase board, plant babies, Christmas angel

In no particular order... 

Every time I see one of these bottle trees at a winery during the holidays it reminds me that I want one.  This one was at Perissos.  I would also like that planked wall and some barn doors, please.

Christmas card selfies.  Couldn't get Hubby to stop laughing and just smile.

STOP IT.

Hello, old folks.

We finally ended up going with a heavily cropped indoor shot that did not include us holding our masks or my tote bag.  Not great but the cards are in the mail.

Doesn't everyone have a dry erase board on their fridge?  I think I paid a dollar for this one.  At the end of each weekend I take a pic of it.  I don't even write on it neatly.  And it works great.  You'd be amazed at the things I need to remind myself to do.

My biggest and most sensitive plant babies found a new home near the window seat in my kitchen.  I scraped out all of the corks I was using for mulch and washed them. Then I watered the ficus and the olive tree, replaced the corks in the pots, and cleaned up my mess.  I paid a whole $5 for that ficus years ago.

The Christmas tree this year is very anti-climactic, but then, so is the holiday season IMHO.

I hauled out the angel that we inherited from my late MIL and it gave me comfort to hang it right here by the tree.  I can feel Marie smiling from heaven, telling me to hang in there and count my blessings.

Gina

Empty Nest Menu #68

Back to my frugal ways for this week's meals. 

Monday - Pot of pintos with ham hock, corn muffins {Secret Santa week at work begins...}

Tuesday - Meatballs with Linguini and Marinara, broccoli

Wednesday - Grilled Chicken Breast, leftover pintos, Mexican rice

Thursday - Skillet Turkey Burgers, twice bakeds, green beans

Friday - Dr. Martin's Mix, corn

Saturday - Free Choice all day {two wine club pick-ups}

Sunday - Veggie and farfalle soup (use turkey stock) {wrap Christmas gifts today!, eat lunch out}

Gina

Thanksgiving 2020

Those 5 days I had off at Thanksgiving went by in a blur. But it was a happy one!  The day before, I cooked the turkey, got the sides prepped, helped The Girl make an apple pie and cranberry bars, ate pizza, drank wine, and just generally enjoyed the day at home!

  The next morning we headed over to a neighborhood park to walk the track in a virtual 5K Turkey Trot to benefit Caritas of Austin.  Hubby took the walk seriously, while The Girl and I played with Teddy along the trails in the park!

Did I take any pics of my peeps?  No, but I took a pic of the table, then I put my phone back down and went on with my day.  It was lovely and there was a LOT of very good food! We met LA's daughter and Bubbie's new-ish girlfriend.  Played games. Ate desserts.  Listened to music. Sat at the firepit.

Friday was rainy, and Hubby and I sneaked off to a couple of breweries on our own.  A chicken schnitzel sammie was also enjoyed at brewery #1.

And brewery #2 was on the way home, so we stopped in there for a bit.

When we got home, we had pulled pork from the crock pot.  I might have made enough food to feed an army.  A lot of it went into my freezer, and my future self will thank me.

A few decorations got put up. Hubby was bummed about not getting a real tree, but I love that we didn't traipse over acres of stumps and fire ant mounds to find the perfect tree in drizzly December weather with 5000 of our closest friends!

On Sunday we got up early and  said our goodbyes to The Girl.  Hubby helped Bubbie with a car issue while I did some housework.  Then we sent youngest back off to college and headed to Highlands to secure some pipes ahead of the first hard freeze of the season. 

We had some visitors in the pasture behind us - this one isn't sure she likes the looks of me.  We enjoyed a firepit, had a bottle of very good wine, and just relaxed before heading home to dinner and early bedtimes.  And now its day three of "back to the grind", but I am so happy I had that time last week to nest, and cook, and see my peeps.  It was a real boost for me!

Gina

Empty Nest #67

Thanksgiving weekend was fun, but not without its share of challenges and I am glad its in the books.  Sometimes, its more fun to look forward to something than to live it.  I didn't make that rule up.

I had a really nice birthday month!  I definitely felt the love.

Monday - Grilled Chicken Breast, zucchini with peppers

Tuesday - Eggplant Parmesan, brocc/cauli with carrots

Wednesday - Pulled Pork Baked Potatoes, chop'd salad

Thursday - BBQ Pork Chops, green beans

Friday - Salmon, veggie couscous

Saturday - free choice {might visit my mother}

Sunday - Turkey Redeaux {two wine club pick-up parties today}

*almost all of the veggies this week are frozen with the exception of the eggplant and the zucchini.  I sure am glad I thought to add some to my last chopping trip!

Gina

5 thing Friday - Christmas tree, muffins, Cricut, turkeys, kitchen

Remember that back in September I started getting the Christmas tree together? 

I added more lights to it, took that reindeer off, and added more greenery to help fill in.  The Girl voiced a firm no on the ivy, but I like it.  When its all dolled up, it will be elegant and festive!

I need to stop buying bananas.  Since I shop on Thursday or Fridays now, they go bad over the weekend.  They make delightful muffins with mini chocolate chips, however.  I'm not a big baker, but I do love having these in the fridge to warm up for breakfast.

Hubby bought me a Cricut for my birthday which was very generous of him!  However, it will be some time before I actually get to sit down for an afternoon and PLAY with it to learn it.  My mother sent birthday cash so I need to go get some supplies for it.  This time next year I will be personalizing Christmas gifts!  It fits perfectly next to my computer desk and printer.

Wild turkeys on our county road in Burnet.  I love seeing them.

I make a giant mess in the kitchen each morning as I prep for dinner, pack lunches, and arrange breakfast.  I really don't mind - its a creative thing for me.  And by the time I leave for work, its back to clean and neat.  Can't wait to get it dolled up for Christmas with a hot chocolate station and some holiday touches!  

Gina

Less Empty Nest Menu #66

I signed up for Apartment Therapy's "the cure" where they give you a task or something to do every day leading up to the holidays.  First up was getting the front room shaped up - I added two leaves in the table, added table pad and tablecloth, swept, replaced the felt chair feet pads, moved the potted plant and extra chair, hauled the tree in from the garage,  then STOPPED.   

You can't do everything in one day. 

It looks darker in here than it really is!

Monday - Crockpot Chili Beans

Tuesday - Dr. Martin's Mix

Wednesday - Take-out pizza

Thursday - Thanksgiving Dinner

Friday - Crockpot Pulled Pork for sammies, potato salad

Saturday - Day trip to Highlands where we will probably grill hot dogs

Sunday - Turkey Soup

The menus are purposely simple and I'm sure no one will go hungry...

Gina

A weekend full of this and that

Starting with working late on Thursday night, I was already tired by the time I got home from buying groceries after work on Friday.  But it was worth it to work late on Thursday night so that I could get Bubbie to the ortho doc in the morning - so far, so good on his wrist.  He gets a custom splint ($$$) this week.  

On Saturday I drove to Brenham bright and early, intending to help my mother with some housework, then meeting a friend for lunch.  As it turns out, the friend had to cancel so I had even more time to spend with mother, which is a good thing.  I made her a pie,

we enjoyed some chicken salad sandwiches, 

and after a very full morning of sweeping, vacuuming, scrubbing, and cleaning we ate pie and ice cream.  We got some groceries bought, her hair cut, and some laundry done. 

I was way too tired to drive to Highlands, so Hubby was on his own there until the next morning.  I showered, ate, watched about 30 minutes of TV, then passed OUT.  The next morning I drove to Burnet with some cinnamon rolls.  Then we got some of that thicket near the barn cleared away, moved the grills back about two feet, and made plans to build a patio for them to sit on.  I also decorated the little $5 tree I put in the barn.

I placed it on a plant stand so it would be taller and hot-glued some corks around the pot it was in. It makes the Barn a cheery place. We didn't go to a winery or brewery, staying close to Highlands the whole day and eating a charcuterie lunch.  Then drove home at sundown and enjoyed dinner at home.  

Tired again, but another good weekend. I think I'm starting to feel the years! Welcome to 60, right?

Gina

Empty Nest Menu #65

I got the freezer mostly emptied out last week.  So I bought a big, fat, turkey and now I am laying my plans for Thanksgiving!

Monday - Crockpot Chicken Tacos with pico de gallo, cheese, sour cream, etc.

Tuesday - Tuna Salad Sammies*, the rest of some chips I found in the pantry

Wednesday - Pork Chop with onions, chard {put turkey in the fridge to thaw}

Thursday - Lentil Soup (never had this last week), corn muffins {dentist appt in a.m.}

Friday - Going to p/u take-out {I'm off today! Mammo appt, pick up Turkey Trot packets, put up Christmas tree, clean carpets}

Saturday - My 60th birthday!  I'm not cooking...{The Girl will be here, we have a wine club pick-up at 7 Creeks}

Sunday - Fried Catfish, California slaw, corn

*When I make tuna salad for sammies I load it up with diced red onion, celery, and pickles, dressing it with a little may and season it with lemon pepper.  It tastes better if it sits in the fridge for a few hours and makes a great dinner sandwich on Texas toast!

Gina

Weekend re-cap: Chinese take-out, Christmas putseying, Highlands, snake!

We started off our weekend by getting take-out from our local Chinese restaurant before heading to Highlands.  Its been forever since we've had Chinese food.

It isn't much to look at on the inside, but they do a big take-out business.  I almost never see anyone eating in there, just running in and picking up bags of food!  After we ate and I showered, we headed out.  We watched a movie at Highlands, fell asleep! in our chairs, and slept like babies with the windows open.  Ahhh....

On Saturday, Hubby made a pot of Mountain Man, then we putseyed.  I made a couple of Christmas crafts for the Barn, including this $1 sign.  I put up a small tree in a cute pot that I am covering with wine corks, and I bought a plant stand for it so it would be a little taller and off the floor. 

The weather was perfect.

At lunch time we moseyed over to a place in the square that we have never tried, then shopped the square.  I had broccoli cheese soup, and he ate a chicken sandwich.  We both enjoyed it and decided we would come back again soon!

Hubby in particular is a big fan of onion rings and these were delicious.

We did some shopping in Marble Falls for projects around Highlands, then headed back in the late afternoon to hang lights.  And that's where things went slightly south.

As Hubby was working on the lights (at dusk) he almost stepped on this.

Look a little more closely...

Rattlesnake!  Hubby dispatched it with his shovel.  But it was a nerve-wracking 10 minutes or so and I had to run get the hatchet to help.  It looked full of mouse and since I noticed some shredded stuff in the storage unit, that meant that he was attracted to a food source.  Back to Lowe's to get some snake repellant and some mouse traps the next morning.  Next weekend, we will do a clean sweep of the barn and get rid of some clutter.  We will also have to greatly trim back a lot of the brush near the barn.  I knew I had smelled snake earlier in the day!

While at Lowe's the second time, we picked up more pavers to extend the patio.  Over time, they will weather and match the others.

Hubby finished hanging the lights along the upper edge of the barn - this will help with visibility at night while not contributing to light pollution.  Then we sprayed snake repellant and treated for fire ants.  

We also extended the extra length of the lights to the front of the barn.  Its not fancy, but it is a sweet little spot to sit at dusk.  And we were so TIRED at that point that we did just that.  (you can see the bricks are still a little wet because we sprayed them down for ants earlier in the afternoon.)

Little by little, our tiny home Barn is coming along.

Gina